Hottest February Day Ever in UK

A new record has been set for the UK’s warmest February day. The thermometer reached 20.3C (68.5F) at Trawsgoed in Ceredigion, west Wales, beating the previous record of 19.7C (67.4F) recorded in Greenwich in 1998. Meteorologists said it was the first time the temperature has exceeded 20C (68F) in winter.

Chief meteorologist of the Met Office Steve Willington said the weather is in sharp contrast to a typical February: “By the weekend we could see temperatures almost 10 degrees higher than what we might normally expect at this time of year".

The unseasonably warm weather comes a year after the UK and Ireland were hit by a period of icy conditions which became known as the Beast from the East. Meteorologist Martin Bowles said the unusually warm temperatures were due to high pressure and warm air coming from Spain and the Azores.

The high pressure is expected to be blocked in one place for up to five days.The warm spell is set to continue on Tuesday and on Wednesday, but it will become less mild and unsettled from Thursday with some heavy showers possible, according to the Met Office.

Experts have cautioned against putting the temperature rise down to climate change, as short-term weather changes can be hard to attribute

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas warned that such heat in February shows our understanding of normal temperatures are changing.

I like spending an afternoon in the sunshine as much as anyone, but it’s impossible to shake the feeling that this isn’t right. After last year’s unprecedented global heatwave and last month’s deadly temperatures in Australia, our baseline perception of what’s normal is shifting.

Re: Hottest February Day Ever in UK

The north-central and northwestern USA is having one of the coldest February on record. We knew it had to be oddly warm somewhere. Has been far below freezing almost every day. Last night was minus 6 F. (-21 C.)

Re: Hottest February Day Ever in UK

We have more snow every year, and longer. The last three days, we've barely been able to step outside: 100km wind and driving snow. We're nearly out of the firewood that was supposed to last into April. But Labrador is melting.